Fox Valley religion special events

Annual beef dinner: The United Methodist Women of the Burlington United Methodist Church invite you to their annual beef dinner. The all-you-can-eat dinner will be served from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at the Burlington United Methodist Church, 195 W. Center St. The menu features roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttery green beans, fruit salad, fresh rolls and pie or cake for dessert. Carryouts will be available until 6:30 p.m. during the dinner. And there will be a bake sale of homemade goods. Proceeds from this dinner help support the programs of the United Methodist Church in Burlington and the missions of the United Methodist Church worldwide. Admission is $10 for adults, $4 for children, children under age 6 get in free. For details, call (847) 683-3535 or visit www.Burlington-UMC.org.

Financial workshops: The public is invited to a free economic and investment update being co-sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and King of Glory Lutheran Church. Two opportunities will be offered: at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 18, and again at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 at the church, Randall and Hopps roads in Elgin. There will be an update on important economic and investment news, and those attending will hear about how to put the markets into perspective, important strategies for coping with the changing economic conditions, and also have the opportunity to ask questions about such topics as budgeting, saving, health insurance, and other concerns that may be on the minds of people in the current economic climate. Refreshments will be served, and again everyone is invited to come, learn and share. There will be no sales presentations. For details, call (630) 208-7184, or e-mail eric.hyte@thrivent.com. Register by calling the church at (847) 931-1520 or e-mailing kogpastor@foxvalley.net.

Workshops for parents, teachers: Faith Community Preschool,10547 Faiths Way in Huntley, will offer two workshops with Kirk Martin of CelebrateCALM.com on Saturday, April 18. For details, call Michelle A. Sullivan at (224) 569-6512 or visit www.CelebrateCALM.com. The free workshop for parents, grandparents and caregivers will be "10 Keys to a Stress-Free Home and School" from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. It is helpful for all families, especially those children affected by anxiety, sensory issues, Asperger's, autism, ODD, OCD and AD/HD. Martin will provide practical strategies to: create a stress-free home by eliminating yelling and arguing; improve focus, attention and behavior; create stress-free morning routines and discipline; channel disrespect and defiance into positive experiences; develop vision, motivation and responsibility; and relieve anxiety and sensory integration issues. Topics that will be covered: nutrition, fidgeting, anxiety, behavior issues, unusual habits, and siblings. Registration is not required. From 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., a professional development workshop, "10 Brain-Boosters Interventions for the 21st-century Classroom" will be offered for educators. The workshop provides: 15 practical interventions to improve attention and retention; behavior plans that build confidence and work long-term instead of reinforcing negative behavior; the correct way to calm angry, frustrated or violent children; how to turn distracting, impulsive students into classroom leaders; and transfer ownership of academic and behavior success to students. Martin will be available afterward to answer specific questions.

Anniversary ceremony: On Sunday, April 19, a Science of Mind community will rekindle the Spirit of newness with a special anniversary dedication ritual and ceremony. Continuing since 1998 as the McHenry County Church of Religious Science, The Center for Spiritual Evolution is a new and expanding American New Thought Network Center at the 204 Spring St. building in Cary, which houses several other alternative healing arts businesses. The building itself was built by the First United Methodist Church in 1950. In 1970-71, it was sold and soon converted into an office building while retaining its church-like outside appearance. April 19 celebrates its second life as a church during a new global era of spiritual evolution. A potluck will follow the service which starts at 10 a.m., preceded by guided meditation at 9:30 a.m. Special music will be performed by singer-songwriter Patricia Caldwell, who also performs Healing Sound Therapy and is a spiritual retreat facilitator. For details, visit www.newthoughtmchenry.org or call (847) 516-1950.

Financial workshop: "More Than Money Matters," an interactive, values-based money management workshop, will be offered at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church and School, 300 Jefferson St. in Algonquin. The workshop will run from 5 to 7 p.m. Sundays, April 19 to May 31, at St. John's Lutheran Church and School Activity Center. The workshop, developed by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, will be presented by John Drafall, a Thrivent Financial associate and all workbooks and materials are provided to all participants free of charge. Attendees will learn how to identify what's most important in their lives and to set goals. They will also learn how to make sharing, saving and spending decisions in line with their values, and to use basic management tools to help budget, reduce debt and find money to save. For details or to register, call Anna at (847) 302-6635 or St. John's Church Office at (847) 658-9300.

Program at Westminster: Janet Hild, director of resource service, will conduct an informational meeting about the school's resource services department at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 at Westminster Christian School, 2700 W. Highland Ave., Elgin. Resource services exists to provide support for students with varying learning styles and needs, classroom teachers in implementation of differentiated instruction and parents of learners throughout the educational process. Some of the services they offer include homework help, one-on-one instructional support and programmed instruction such as multi-sensory structured language training. Topics presented will include: philosophy; who do they serve; program options; new programs; and question-and-answer session. Westminster Christian School is a private prekindergarten to 12th grade school offering core academic courses with Biblical integration throughout the program. For details, call (847) 695-0310. Visit www.westminsterchristian.org.

Spring concert tour: The Alleluia Sound High School Choir and the Good Vibrations Handbell Choir will present their 37th annual spring concert tour April 24-27. They will be presenting their pre-tour concert on Sunday, April 19 during the second service at 10:45 a.m. Performing at five different locations during the four-day period, the choirs will travel to Glen Ellyn, Louisville, Ky. and Indianapolis, Ind. They conclude their tour in Crystal Lake with their Welcome Home Concert at 7 p.m. Monday, April 27, at First Congregational Church, 461 Pierson St., Crystal Lake. The public is invited to attend, and admission is free.

Rummage sale: Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Fourth and Main streets in West Dundee, will hold their rummage sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 24 and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 25. There will be a bag sale for $3 per bag on Saturday. If you have clean and usable things for the sale, bring them to the church starting Monday, April 20. For details, call Martha Lehman at (847) 426-9934 or the church office at (847) 426-7311. Use the Fourth Street entrance or the entrance at the back of the church.

Spiritually conscious women: Women seeking the company of other spiritually conscious of women meet the last Sunday of the month at the Center for Spiritual Evolution, 204 Spring St., Cary, following service from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. At the April 26, gathering the women will be discussing chapter 7 Eckhart Tolle's book, "A New Earth," Chapter 7. Each intergenerational meeting starts with check-ins and if someone needs extra prayers, the group offers help. As a sacred women's circle, requests for confidentiality are completely honored. A lay-led exploration of different topics is facilitated by a different woman each month, with viewpoints freely expressed without judgment or need for consensus. Many ladies find knitting and crocheting to be a natural thing to do when in the group.

St. John's Bible Exhibit: The Saint John's Bible Exhibit will open on May 3 and run through June 21 at the First Congregational Church of Crystal Lake. A modern, handwritten and illuminated Bible for the 21st Century, The Saint John's Bible was commissioned in 1998 by the Benedictine Monastic Community at Saint John's Abbey and University in Collegeville, MN to mark the beginning of the third millennium. The Saint John's Bible was designed and executed by Donald Jackson, world-renowned calligrapher, illuminator and Senior Scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's Crown Office, in collaboration with an international team of theologians, historians, artists and scribes. It is a unique blend of ancient methods, materials and tools with modern themes, images, technology and text. The exhibit at FCC will contain 25 high quality reproductions of the illustrations and calligraphy in the book. Six-volume, full-color reproduction books of the original manuscript will be available at FCC during the exhibit. The Opening Celebration takes place Sunday, May 3 at 12:15 p.m. in FCC's Chapel. Thereafter the exhibit will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week, except Memorial Day Weekend; other times and group tours by appointment. Admission is free and the building is handicap-accessible. For details, call (815) 459-6010 or visit: fcc-cl.org.

Friends of Judson: The Friends of Judson University invite you to their annual Spring Luncheon to be held at 11:30 a.m. Monday, May 4 in the Eagle Lounge on the Judson University campus, 1151 N. State St., Elgin. The theme of this year's luncheon is "Readin', Writin', and 'Rithmatic." Joy Towner of Judson's Department of Education will be speaking. In addition, you will have the opportunity to hear about fundraising projects and events that contribute to student scholarships and quality of life. The cost of the luncheon is $15. Call (847) 888-2775 by April 23 for further information and reservations.

St. Mary dinner dance: St. Mary's Catholic Church will hold its Dinner-Dance and Fundraiser Friday, May 15 at the Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake. Seating is limited so be sure to get your reservation early. The evening starts at 5 p.m. with many activities including the silent auction in merchandise, dining and services. A popular activity is the "Lucky Card" game where everyone is a winner every time; $10 (or three cards for $25) guarantees you a prize for each card valued at $15 or more, perhaps a lot more. In previous years, these prizes included several TVs, leather jackets, dinners to fine restaurants, and more. Along with these activities, you'll have one last chance to participate in the grand raffle for prizes valued at over $5,000. The top prize is a seven-day Eastern Caribbean Princess Cruise. The second prize is $2,000 in gift certificates to Joe Caputo and Sons in Algonquin. Third prize is $300 in gift certificates to Hennessy's Steak and Seafood. And finally, the fourth prize is $250 in gift certificates to Barley House. Of course, there will also be a 50/50 game where the winners go home with hundreds of dollars. Cocktails are available for purchase throughout the evening. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Select your entree from among tournedos of beef Oscar, champagne chicken or oven-roasted tilapia. Complimentary wine will be served throughout dinner. At 8:15 p.m., the "Ft. Knox 50/50" drawing will take place with the lucky winner taking home $5,000. A total of $10,000 will be split among five lucky winners. Dancing begins at 9 p.m. with music for all generations, provided by Esposito Enterprises Inc. During this time the silent auction bid winners are notified and the prizes are picked up. Delivery arrangements can be made for the larger items. Tickets are $55. Make your reservations now at (847) 669-7029.

Buddha Day: On Saturday, May 16, the community is invited to the seventh annual Buddha Day celebration at the Congregational Unitarian Church, 221 Dean St., Woodstock. The event, beginning at 6 p.m., is co-hosted by Blue Lotus Temple and the Ten Directions Zen Community. Buddha Day, Visakha Puja in the ancient Indian language of Pali, is celebrated in all Buddhist communities and countries. It honors the three most important events in the life of Buddha: his birth, his enlightenment, and the attainment of Nirvana at his death. For details, call Blue Lotus Temple at (815) 444-8915 or visit www.bluelotustemple.org.

Flea market: Vendors are wanted for the outdoor flea market to be held Saturday, June 13 at King of Glory Lutheran Church, Hopps and Randall roads in Elgin. For details, call Cindy Meseke at (847) 468-8160.

School registration: St. John's Lutheran School, 300 Jefferson St. in Algonquin, is now accepting kindergarten through eighth grade day school registration for the 2009-10 school year. St. John's Day School offers an all-day kindergarten program and first- through eighth-grade classes. St. John's School Program offers core subjects as well as computers, art, music, band, chapel and physical education. The program is complemented by after school extracurricular programs including art classes, chess club, foreign language classes, scouting programs and sports programs including: soccer, volleyball, basketball and pep squad. St. John's also offers BASS (Before and After School Services) program for all enrolled students. It has limited class sizes and acceptance is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Enrollment is open to the community and is not limited to church members. St. John's is located in downtown Algonquin, just 1 block west of route 31. For information or to enroll your child contact St. John's school office (847) 658-9311 or via email at stjohns@covad.net.

Register for St. Laurence: St. Laurence School, 572 Standish St. in Elgin, is now accepting registration for kindergarten for the 2009-10 school year. It offers a full day kindergarten with a comprehensive curriculum, small class size and experienced teachers. St. Laurence School is accredited by the state of Illinois and the Diocese of Rockford. They offer classes from preschool through the eighth grade. To learn more about the school or make an appointment for a personal tour, call the school office at (847) 468-6100. Visit stlaurenceschool.com.

Light of School: Light of Christ Preschool,100 Hanson Road, Algonquin, is continuing enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year. A new curriculum is being offered for children ages 3-5. Enrichment program with lunch also available. Visit locpreschool.com or contact Preschool Director Michelle Niehoff at (847) 658-0955 for more information.

Register for Griffin school: Griffin Christian School, a ministry of Fox Valley Baptist Church, is now accepting enrollments in all grades for the 2009-10 school year. The school, located at 16N562 Vista Lane in East Dundee, is for preschool through 12th grade. They offer a full, Bible-based academic schedule, along with classes in art, music, computer skills, gym, and several foreign languages. After school care is also available. The preschool program is for both 3- and 4-year-olds. Parents will be able to choose between a two-day or a five-day program, either mornings or full day. The kindergarten program is either mornings or full day. Both programs feature early learning activities with a low student-to-teacher ratio, and include phonics-based reading instruction. The elementary program is a multi-age class, but with traditional classroom instruction and a phonics-based reading program. The middle and high school programs use a technology based individualized program, utilizing the latest in computer technology to assist in the learning process and prepare students for the modern collegiate experience. For several of their subjects the middle and high school use an online curriculum with real time assistance, where each student can complete his subjects with lessons specifically tailored to his needs. Traditional classroom instruction in several subjects is also included. For details, or to make an appointment to visit the school, call (847) 428-5413 or visit griffinchristianschool.org.